Easel.



PATENTED FEB. '5, 1907.

O. R. HOAG.

EASEL.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 16, 1904.

THE NaRms PETERS cm. WASHINGYDN. n. c.

tnarrno srarns ra'rnivr orrion CHESTER R. HOAG, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE WHITE- HEAD & HOAG COMPANY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 5, 1907.

Application filed November 16, 1904. Serial No. 233,017.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHESTER R. Hone, of Newark, in the county of Essex, in the State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Easels, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in easels for supporting advertising signs or cards, and refers more particularly to the manner of uniting the leg and brace of the easel to the backboard of the sign or advertising plate and also to the manner of interlocking the brace and leg with each other.

My object is to provide a folding easel the parts of which are attached to the advertising plate or sign and are adapted to fold against the back of said plate or sign so as to occupy a minimum space in packing for storage or transportation.

Other objects and uses will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is perspective view of a display-card, showing my improved easel attached thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view of the device seen in Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and i are similar sectional views of modified forms of easel, the upper portion of the display-card and easel being broken away. Figs. 5 and 6 are sootional views taken, respectively, on line 5 5, Fig. 3, and 6 6, Fig. 5.

My improved easel is adapted to be used in connection with any comparatively light display-card, such as advertising-signs, photographs, and similar articles which are required to be placed in a more or less upright position upon the shelf, mantle, or other conspicuous place.

In the drawings I have shown this easel as applied to an ornamental display-card 1, of celluloid or similar material, upon which advertising matter is printed, and this displayeard, being formed of extremely thin material, is mounted upon a comparatively stiff backing 2, of cardboard or similar cheap material which is capable of retaining the advertising-card in the form desired, said advertising-card having its marginal edges, as 3, crimpcd or turned over the marginal edges of the backing 2, to which the printed displaycard 1 is adhesively secured, the marginal edges 3 being usually lapped upon and adhesively secured to the rear face of the backing 2, as best seen in Fig. 2. A second backpiece 4, of comparatively thin cardboard and substantially the same form and size as the backing 2, is adhesively secured to the rear face of said backing 2 to cover the overturned edges 3 of the display-sheet 1, this second backing 4 being usually mottled or otherwise printed to give a neat finish to the back of the display-card. I

Prior to the application of the back-piece 4 to the backing 2 the former is provided with longitudinal slits or cuts 5 and 6, as best seen i in Fig. 2, the slit 5 being near the top of the display-card, and the slit 6 is located near the bottom, the object of said slits being'to form comparatively short pockets in which certain elements hereinafter described may be inserted after the back-piece at is adhesively secured to the part 2.

The adhesive is usually applied to one surface of the back-piece; but before it is adhesively applied to the part 2 I preferably insert in the slit 5 one end of a flexible hanger 7, while the other end protrudes some distance outwardly through the slit 5 and is provided with an aperture 8, so that by bending the hanger 7 upwardly to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2 the hanger may be hung upon a suitable nail or other support against the wall. A second comparatively short strip 9 of thin cardboard or equivalent material has one end inserted in the slit 6 and its other end protrudes some distance outwardly through said slit and may be deflected laterally or rearwardly, as best seen in Fig. 2, to form a tongue or flap to guide the end of the brace 11 in entering its slit.

It has been previously explained that the inner surface of the back-piece 4 is gunlnied or provided with an adhesive, so that when the hanger 7 and'strip 9 are inserted into the slits 5 and 6, respectively, their inner ends become adhesively secured to the gunnned face of the part 4 and at the same time prevents the adhesion of the contiguous parts of the back-piece L to the rear face of the backing 2, thus leaving the pockets formed by the slits 5 and 6 open and more or less flexible.

The easel proper comprises a leg 10 and a brace 11, the leg 10 having its upper end removably inserted in the slit 5 between the hanger 7 and backing 2, and although this leg is made of a separate piece of cardboard or other comparatively stiff yet flexible material and has its upper end removably inserted in the pocket or slit 5 it is evident that it may be tipped with glue or other adhesive and adhesively secured within the pocket or slit 5, while its lower end is free to fold inwardly against the back-piece 4, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, when packed for shipment or storage, or it may be sprung outwardly to the position seen in Figs. 1 and 2 for supporting the display-card in a substantially upright position upon the shelf or other support.

The brace 11 has one end inserted in the slit or pocket 6 between the sirip 9 and backing 2, while its other end projects some distance outwardly from the pocket and may be folded to the dotted position seen in Fig. 2 when the device is packed for shipping or storage, or it may be sprung to the position seen in Figs. 1 and 2 for engaging and bracing the leg 10 against inward compression or folding.

In order that the free ends of the leg 10 and brace 11 may be locked together, 1 provide the brace 11 with a tongue 12, which enters a slot 13 in the leg 10, as best seen in Fig. 1. The tongue 12 projecting a slight distance through the slot and being of less width than the remaining por.ions of the brace, it is apparent that suitable shoulders or abuiments 14 are formed on the brace 11 for limiting the inward sliding movement of the leg upon the tongue 12.

It is now apparent that this display-card 1 may be either hung upon the wall by means of the hanger 7 or it may be supported in a substantially upright position by means of the leg 10 and brace 11, which constitute a very simple easel and may be detached from each other and folded inwardly to the dotted position seen in Fig. 2 when desired.

The part of the brace 11 which is inserted in the pocket or slit 6 is preferably left free to be removed or reinserted.

The device shown in Figs. 3, 5, and 6 is very similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, eXcept that the back-piece 4 is provided with a pair of vertical slits 15, in which are inserted the opposite ends of a strip 16, of cloth or other material, whereby a loop or pocket is formed between the strip 16 and adjacent face of the back-piece 4 for receiving the front end of the brace 11, which is substantially the same as that seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the ends of the strip 16 being adhesively secured between the back-piece 4 and part 2 to hold it in place, and in this case the front end of the brace 11 is removably inserted in the pocket formed by the strip 16.

The device seen in Fig. 4 is also quite similar to that seen in Figs. 1 and 2, except that the leg, as 10, and brace, as 11, are formed from the same strip of cardboard or similar material, and the front end of the brace is removably inserted in the slit or pocket 6 in substantially the same manner as that seen in Fi 2, while the junction of the leg 10 with the brace 11 is creased or scored transversely, so that the parts may be folded one upon the other to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4.

The construction and operation of my invenion is believed to be sufficiently disclosed to enable any one skilled in the art to construct and use the same.

Having thus described my invention, what i claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with a card having a back-piece provided with slits one above the other, a leg having one end inserted in the upper slit and its lower portion provided with a transverse slot and a brace having one end movable into and out of the other slit and its other end reduced in width to about the width of the slot and inserted into said slot.

2. The combinalion with a display-card .aving upper and lower pocliels or slits, a hanger inserted in the upper slit, a leg also inseried in the upper slit and a brace having one end inserted in the lower slit and its other end engaged with the leg.

3. In combination with a card having a back-piece provided with slits one above the other, a leg having one end inserted in the upper slit and its lower portion provided with a 'tIZtDSVGISG slot and a brace having one end inserted in the lower slit and its other end slidable in said slot.

In wi ness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 25th day of October, 1904.

CHESTER R. HOAG.

lVitnesses R. H. Soorr, WM. A. Jones. 

